The creation of smooth, rhythmic edited results from raw video or film stock requires specialised skill in order to produce interesting and entertaining results. When dealing with film, typically the film stock is converted into a video format so that the sequence of images can be readily manipulated with computerised assistance. Once the specific sequence is finalised using video editing, the original film stock may be cut and spliced in the traditional fashion thereby ensuring high quality reproduction. Such a process therefore relates to the manipulation of video (either analog or digital-based) which requires skills in a number of areas including digital film effects, editing and sound design. Such skills are rarely possessed by one person and each take advanced training sometimes only ever achieved from years of working in the film production industry.
Amateur video makers rarely have the time, expertise and sophisticated equipment necessary to achieve the results a professional film maker might obtain given comparable source material. The amateur results are, in most cases, only subjectively interesting to participants of the video, and often the interest of non-participant audiences are found to wane early in the screening. Such a lack of interest, in many cases arises from the poor application of editing techniques that can otherwise turn somewhat “ordinary” original footage into an entertaining final edited version. Basic editing and production techniques commonly used by professionals that are missing from amateur video include incorporation of attractive titles, a rhythmic approach to editing, the appropriate use of transitions and cuts, sound and backing tracks and also the application of digital effects such as colour correction, and particle animations, and also the application of different shot types.
The editing of original footage requires placing clips in a sequence corresponding to the order in which they were originally derived. Current tools available to amateurs and professionals alike include software that may operate on personal computers (PC's), with or without a video card, and which is configured to manage a linear time line for editing purposes. Hardware such as dual video cassette recorders (VCR's) may be used to allow sequencing from the original source tape to a new tape. Editing by either method is a time consuming task, as both solutions require a “hands on” approach of manually slotting each clip into its place in the sequence. Transitions such as dissolves or cross-fades must also be placed manually and often impose heavy processing demands on computer aided production devices. Also, the correct understanding of transitions and where they should be used is often lacking with respect to the amateur video maker, and often results in inappropriate or excessive use or the draining of resources from the production system, only to achieve an unprofessional result. The current dual VCR approach is fraught with problems. For example, should the amateur wish to amend any part of the video after editing is completed, the entire process must be re-performed.
The placement of titles in the edited video must also be done by first analysing the footage to determine new scene locations. This task requires some time relative to the amount of footage the video maker has available, as the footage must be carefully reviewed with in-out points recorded, and then further time is required for the title mattes to be inserted. To achieve an optimal result, alternate transitions to the rest of the video must be inserted when a new scene is introduced.
Insert titles, or “intertitles” as they are sometimes known, have been used historically in the production of silent movies to help convey information about characters and the story to the audience in the absence of sound. Insert titles are also used in modern day productions to facilitate comments on action, create humor, set time and location and provide for continuity between otherwise disparate scenes. The current method of producing insert titles has been performed by a person known as a typesetter who is given the written content by a writer of the movie or production. The typesetter is a skilled person who sets out the text either photographically, illustrated by hand or with the use of a desktop publishing system. Words are supplied in most cases by a writer who knows the context of the story and are often written in witty prose or, if conveying the setting of location or time, is generally direct and informative. Insert titles are incorporated into a short list for the editor to then sequence the titles into a movie. The duration of insert titles is largely set according to the number of words and syllables required to be comprehended by the audience. The genre and style of the production also alter the duration of titles as does the skill of the editor in maintaining continuity within the movie.
As a consequence, producing insert titles in a traditional fashion requires a number of people each with specialised skills. Writing the text for insert titles requires knowledge of the movie story, genre and an understanding of the culture of the audience. Typesetting the text in a fashion that reflects the genre of the movie requires special design skills, and placing the insert title within the movie sequence at an appropriate place requires the specialised skill of an editor. Thus, creating insert titles is a complicated expensive and time-consuming process.
Current methods of sound editing are highly specialised and the concept of embellishing the final edited rhythm with beat synchronisation is well beyond the scope of most amateur video makers. The time taken to analyse an audio waveform of a chosen sound track and then to synchronise video cuts is prohibitive, the cost of equipment is unjustified for most amateurs, and the techniques are even harder to manage with dual VCR editors.
It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome, or at least ameliorate, one or more of the deficiencies associated with amateur video production.